Web Development Links and Resources

This page provides the user with helpful information on a variety of web-development-related topics. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list but one that will grow with the Delaware MWDG’s input.

E-GOVERNMENT NATIONWIDE

ICMA Publication: A New Way to Communicate with Residents:Local Government Use of Social Media to Prepare for Emergencies (a report by Craig Chavez, Michael Repas, and Thomas L. Stefaniak - submitted by Mark Deshon)

Connecting with residents with mass text messages, e-mails, and web distribution through Nixle utilities (submitted by Mark Deshon)

ICMA Publication: Using Free, Open-Source Software in Local Governments: Streamlined Internal Computing for Better Performance and Record Keeping (a report by Michael Repas - submitted by Mark Deshon)

“Friending” City Hall: How the Open Data Movement and Social Media are Changing Citizen Communication with Government (a slide presentation by Mark Headd of VoiceInGov.org - submitted by Mark Deshon)

State and Federal E-Government in the United States 2006 (a survey report by Darrell M. West of Brown University’s Taubman Center for Public Policy - submitted by Greg Hughes)

Are we there yet? (an article in PDF by Kim Patrick Kobza on Citizen Interaction in E-Government Initiatives from the Neighborhood America website, submitted by Mark Deshon)

Center for Digital Government - a national research and advisory institiute on information technologies and best practices in state and local government (submitted by Mark Deshon)

PRINCIPLES AND BEST PRACTICE

ICMA chart on Elements of Community Readiness for a 311/CRM System (submitted by Mark Deshon)

USA.gov Tips and Regulations (an online resource submitted by Dorothy Doyle)

The Do’s and Don’ts of Modern Web Design (an online resource submitted by Mark Deshon)

What NASA Can Teach You About Web Design (an online article submitted by Mark Deshon)

Design Coding (a YouTube rap video promoting best practice, yo; submitted by Danny Schweers)

Secrets of Successful Government Websites (a presentation in PDF; an adaptation of the book by Vision Internet, created and submitted by Mark Deshon)

Quality Tips for Webmasters (submitted by Mark Deshon via First State Web Association)

Government Information Center at Delaware.gov

• Accessibility page (submitted by Greg Hughes)
• DTI’s www.[municipalityname].delaware.gov Request Form (submitted by Greg Hughes)

Government Domain-Name Guidelines (submitted by Sussex County)

University of Delaware Idea Center (submitted by Mark Deshon)

Website Email Anti-Harvesting Techniques (submitted by Sussex County)

Search Engine Optimization (submitted by Sussex County)

ICMA article on Social Media in Public Life (submitted by Mark Deshon)

also see excellent printed resources under Recommended Reading below

TRAINING

Training/Seminars/Webinars available from GSA for Federal, State, and Local Government at reduced rates (submitted by Greg Hughes)

Dreamweaver Training Module (submitted by Mark Deshon)

CSS Video Tutorials from Lynda.com (submitted by Danny Schweers)

LINKS TO OTHER HELPFUL RESOURCES

Federal Resources for Managing Websites (submitted by Greg Hughes)

Resource Links posted by National Association of Government Webmasters (submitted by Mark Deshon)

E-Gov’t Policy Resources (PDF file of list complied by Carol Spencer of Morris County, N.J., submitted by Mark Deshon)

Encoding an E-mail Address (submitted by Dick Cleaveland)

RECOMMENDED READING

Don’t Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Second Edition), Steve Krug, New Riders Publishing, 2006.

Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity, Jakob Neilsen, New Riders Publishing, 2000

CSS: The Missing Manual, David Sawyer McFarland, Pogue Press - O’Reilly, 2006